Supports for electrical apparatus



Jan. 21, 1964 R. E. HAMSON 3,118,980

SUPPORTS FOR ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Filed Dec. 25, 1960 INVEN TOR.

j yerl'fiamian United States Patent SUPPORTS FOR ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Roger E. Harrison, Stratford, N.J., assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 23, 1960, Ser. No. 78,052 Claims. (Cl. 179-147) The present invention relates to supports for electrical apparatus. The invention is particularly useful in pro viding a support for a microphone.

Electrical apparatus, such as microphones, are often held in the hand of the person using the same. There are times when it is desirable to make the microphone selfsupporting so that it can be located in a desired position, as on a table. At other times, it is convenient to wear the microphone around the neck. A problem exists in providing a microphone support whereby the microphone may be supported interchangeably in any desired manner.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved support for electrical apparatus which makes use of parts already available in the apparatus and is therefore low in cost. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved microphone stand which is lower in cost than any known microphone stand.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide means for supporting an electrical device, such as a microphone, in a variety of modes of support and which facilitates change over between any one such mode of support and another.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a microphone support which may be used interchangeably to support a microphone on a table or to permit the microphone to be worn as a lavaliere, and which can be readily removed so that the microphone can be hand held.

A support in accordance with the invention for electrical apparatus includes a case and a resilient, flexible member, such as a cable, which extends outwardly from the case. A cavity or opening, such as a slot, is provided in the case. This slot is adapted to receive a reentrant loop of the cable. Accordingly, a stand may be provided by a loop of the cable which extends outwardly from the case and back into the slot. When it is desired to support the apparatus on a table, the loop can be formed paraliel to the table so that the apparatus rests on the sides of the loop. Alternatively, the loop can be used as one leg of a triangular or easel-type of stand. If the apparatus is a microphone which is to be worn around the neck of a person, the loop can be made of sufficient size to permit the microphone to be worn as a lavaliere.

The invention itself, both as to its organization and method of operation, as well as additional objects and advantages thereof, will become more readily apparent from a reading of the following description in connection with accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURES l and 2 are rear perspective views of supports embodying the invention and used as microphone stands;

FIGURE 3 is a rear perspective View showing the method whereby a microphone stand in accordance with the invention may be formed; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing a support in accordance with the invention as a lavaliere microphone.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is shown, in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a case 10 of a microphone 9, the microphone being shown merely by way of illustration since it will be apparent, as the description proceeds, that the invention may be applied in providing supports for other electrical apparatus and devices. The face or front side 12 of the microphone has a perforated 3,118,986 Patented Jan. 21, 1964 cover 13 through which sound may pass into the case 10 for actuating a microphone transducer element which is enclosed therein. This microphone transducer element may be of any type known in the art. A cable 14 is connected to the element and extends outwardly from the case through an opening 16 therein. This cable 14 connects the microphone to an amplifier input, for example.

The microphone case may be made of molded plastic, or formed of metal. Another opening or cavity in the form of a slot 18 is provided in the case 10. The cavity may also be provided by other means such as an outwardly bent, curved tab which extends from the case. The slot 18 is a blind slot which extends into the case. It will be noted that this slot 18 islocated adjacent the same edge 20 of the case as the opening 16 from which the cable 14 extends. The edge 20 and the blind slot 18 are disposed in a portion of the case 16 which is offset rearwardly from the face 12 of the microphone. This offset is provided primarily for aesthetic purposes. The slot 18 is dimensioned so that it can receive a reentrant loop 2?; of the cable 14 in a manner whereby this loop can be snapped into and out of the slot 18. Accordingly, the characteristics of the cable 14 are to be considered in determining the size of the slot 18. The cable 14 may be a standard microphone cable of the type which is manufactured by the Beldon Manufacturing Company of Chicago, Illinois or Chester Wire and Cable Company of Chester, New York, and which is somewhat stiff, although deformable and somewhat resilient.

The cable 14 includes flexible copper wires encased in flexible plastic insulation. The insulation is sheathed by a wire mesh tube which forms a shield. The shield tube is covered by a loop of another flexible plastic. Accordingly, the cable, itself, is, as a whole, rather resilient, flexible and yieldable, but short portions thereof are relatively stiff, so that a loop in the cable is self sustaining. It follows that when the cable is folded back upon itself in a manner whereby a loop, such as the reentrant loop 22 is formed, it acts somewhat like a hairpin spring. The slot 18 is dimensioned so that the reentrant loop 22 may be snapped in place into the slot or snapped out of the slot quite easily. Accordingly, the slot desirably has a height slightly greater than the diameter of the cable 14 and a width appreciably greater than twice the diameter of the cable. The depth of the slot is desirably at least as large as the radius of the bend in the cable when it is folded back upon itself. The typical dimensions of the slot for use with a cable 14 which is approximately ii-12" diameter are approximately in height, in width and in depth.

When it is desired to support the microphone on a' fiat surface 23, such as a table top, as shown in FIG. 1, the cable is first formed into a loop 24 which extends, generally parallel to the surface 23. The reentrant loop 22 is formed at the end of the loop 24 and is inserted into the slot 13. This reentrant loop 22 is snapped into the slot and maintains the loop 24 formed in desired positional relationship with the microphone case 10. The microphone sits on its edge 2% and is held in this position by the sides of the loop 24.

It may be desired to aim the face 12 of the microphone angularly upwardly from the surface on which it rests. It will be observed, from FIG. 2, that the cable 14 may be formed into a loop 26 which is disposed at an angle with respect to the back side 28 of the case 143. The loop 26 constitutes a brace which supports the microphone case 10 in desired position on a flat surface 29, such as another table top, in the manner of an easel.

FIG. 3 illustrates the method whereby the reentrant loop 22 may be formed in the cable 14. First, the requisite length of cable which will provide the desired mode of support is determined. At the end of this requisite 3,11s,eso

U length of cable, the reentrant loop 22 is formed by squeezing the cable 14 between the thumb and the forefinger. With loop 22 held in this manner, it is snapped into the slot 13. The loop remains held in the slot 13 by the spring action of the flexible cable 14.

The microphone i may also be worn around the neck of a person 36 (FIG. 4) by providing, in the cable 14, a large loop 32 which is of su'llicient size that it can be slipped over the head of the person 39. Alternatively the loop 32 may be hung from any support, as, for example, on a hook which extends from a wall.

The microphone 9 may also be hand held if the recntrant loop 22 is removed from the slot 18. The cable then extends from the case it) in the usual manner. Any of the modes of support illu: ted in FIGS. 1 to 4 depends upon the length of the cable 14 allowed for the first loop which lends support to the microphone. In the case of FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, these are loops 24, 26 and 32, respectively. The size of the loop may be changed by changing the position of the reentrant loop along the cable 14. Since the reentrant loop can be snapped into and out of the slot 13 and can be formed at any poi t of the cable 14, it will be apparent that any of the 6 red modes of support can be readily interchanged for another.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent taht there has been provided improved means of support for electrical devices and particularly microphones. Although stands and supports in accordance with the invention have been described for use with microphones in the foregoing specification, other uses for the invention, as well as modifications in the described microphone stands and supports themselves, all within the scope of the invention, will undoubtedly become apparent to one skilled in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing should be taken as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. Electrical apparatus which comprises a case, and a fieixble, resilient member electrically connected in said case which extends outwardly from said case and is adapted to form a loop for supporting said case, said case having a cavity therein for releasably receiving a reeutrant loop of said member, said reentrant loop maintaining said supporting loop in formed condition.

2. In an electrical device having a case a resilient cable electrically connected in said case and extending outwardly from said case and adapted to be formed into loops, a support for said device which comprises means having a slot for receiving a reentrant one of said loops in said cable, said reentrant loop being disposed at the end of another of said loops said cable which extends between said slot and said case, said other loop providing support for said case.

3. Electrical apparatus which comprises a polysided ease having an opening adjacent an edge of one side thereof, a flexible cable electrically connected in said case and extending outwardly from said case through said opening, said case having a slot therein also adjacent to said edge, said slot being adapted to releasahly receive a reentrant loop of said cable, said reentrant loop being disposed at the end of another loop or" said cable which extends from said opening, and said other loop being adapted .to support said case.

4. The invention as set forth in claim 3 wherein said slot is a blind slot having (1) a height slightly greater than the diameter of said cable; (2) a width appreciably greater than two diameters of said cable; 811i. 3) a depth at least as large as the radius of a bend in said cable when said cable is folded back upon itself.

tit

5. A support {or supporting on a fiat surface a microphone having a. case for enclosing a transducer element, said case having an opening and a slot in one side thereof, said slot and said opening being disposed adjacent the same edge of said one side, said support comprising, in combination with said case, a resilient, flexible cable electicaliy connected in said case and extending outwardly from said case through said opening, a first loop and a reentrant loop in said cable, said first loop extending between said opening and said slot and being disposed in a plane generally parallel the plane of said surface, and said reentrant loop being releasably disposed in said slot.

6. A microphone support comprising a case provided in one side thereof with an opening and a slot, and a microphone cable extending outwardly from said openand adapted to be formed into a plurality of successive loops, said slot being spaced from said opening and being dimensioned to receive a reentrant one of said loops, first of said loops extending from said opening to said slot and said rcentrant loop being disposed at the end of said first loop, said first loop being disposed at an acute angle with respect to said case whereby said first loop consitutes a brace which supports said case in the manner of an easel.

7. A lavaliere microphone comprising a case and a cable extending from said case, said case having a cavity therein, a loop in said cable extending from said case and of sufficient length to extend around the neck of a person, and a reentrant loop in said cable at the end of the firstnamed loop which is releasably disposed within said cavity.

A self-supporting microphone comprising a case having an opening in one side thereof, a resilient microphone cable extending out of said case through said opening, said one side of said case having a cavity therein spaced from said opening and being of a size to receive a loop in a portion of said cable spaced from the portion thereof which extends through said opening, said loop defining a hairpin spring and yieldably retaining itself in said other opening, the portion of said cable between said other opening and said first-named opening defining another loop for supporting said case.

9. In an electrical device adapted to be either placed upon or suspended from a support, said device having a case provided with a cavity in communication with the ambient, the combination therewith of a self sustaining, flexible member electrically connected to said device and extending from said case, said member being deformable into a first loop along a portion thereof between its connection to said device and said cavity, and also into a second and reentrant loop beyond said first loop, said second loop being receivable into said cavity to be held therein and thereby maintain said first loop, and said first loop being adapted to either rest upon or be suspended from a support whereby to hold said device on said support.

10. A support for electrical apparatus comprising a case within which said apparatus iscoutained, said case having an 0pening,a flexible, resilient cable electrically connected to said apparatus and passing through said opening, said case having a slot dimensioned to receive a reentrant loop of said cable and contain said loop against the resilience of said rcentrant cable loop, whereby said case may be supported in different, altcrantive modes of support depending on the size and arrangement of the main loop thus formed between said opening and the reentrant loop in said slot.

No references cited. 

6. A MICROPHONE SUPPORT COMPRISING A CASE PROVIDED IN ONE SIDE THEREOF WITH AN OPENING AND A SLOT, AND A MICROPHONE CABLE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID OPENING AND ADAPTED TO BE FORMED INTO A PLURALITY OF SUCCESSIVE LOOPS, SAID SLOT BEING SPACED FROM SAID OPENING AND BEING DIMENSIONED TO RECEIVE A REENTRANT ONE OF SAID LOOPS, FIRST OF SAID LOOPS EXTENDING FROM SAID OPENING TO SAID SLOT AND SAID REENTRANT LOOP BEING DISPOSED AT THE END OF SAID FIRST LOOP, SAID FIRST LOOP BEING DISPOSED AT AN ACUTE ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID CASE WHEREBY SAID FIRST LOOP CONSITUTES A BRACE WHICH SUPPORTS SAID CASE IN THE MANNER OF AN EASEL. 